WHITTIER – Former Whittier police Chief Brad Hoover and his brother, John, have sued a former Whittier city councilman and a former state senator for libel and slander over claims the Hoovers had mismanaged and stole retirement savings.

The Hoovers filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Mohave County, Ariz., against former state Sen. Frank Hill, former Councilman Doug Lopez, his brother, Jeff, and mother, Joanne, and Jerry Perisho, a banker and former executive director of the Whittier Boys & Girls Club. Perisho’s wife is the daughter of Joanne Lopez.

The wives of Doug and Jeff Lopez, Hill and Perisho are also named in the suit.

In an interview this week, Doug Lopez accused the Hoovers of suing to shield themselves from their detractors’ allegations.

“We gave them nearly $1 million and now they’re suing,” he said. “These guys are absolutely asinine. Their empire has crumbled. I’m just sickened by the fact that my mother has $600,000 invested and they owe her $200,000 plus interest since last June.”

Perisho declined to comment. Hill and Jeff Lopez could not be reached for comment Friday.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of conspiracy to defame, interference with business, misappropriation of trade secrets and a breach of duty.

In the lawsuit, the Hoovers accuse the defendants of starting up an Internet Web site, hooverfraud.blogspot.com, to defame them as well as seeking negative press coverage.

Hoover retired as police chief in 2001 after working 37 years in the Whittier Police Department.

The lawsuit includes no monetary figure, but does ask that the Web site be shut down. Brad Hoover said the lawsuit will allow him to discover who actually created and maintains the blog.

Doug Lopez, who was on the Whittier City Council from 2005-06, denied starting the Web site but said he has added comments to the blog.

The Lopezes and others have filed complaints with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Arizona Department of Real Estate stating that companies owned by the Hoovers had “mismanaged and stole retirement savings.”

Brad Hoover said the issue between his company, Hoover Quality Homes, and the defendants is a business dispute and that they have done nothing wrong.

Hoover said the defendants have called him names, accused him of running a Ponzi scheme and sent letters to friends attacking him.

The lawsuit also said the defendants contacted the Whittier Daily News, seeking a story accusing the Hoovers of fraud. A story about the accusations against the Hoovers was published Dec. 23, after Joanne Lopez made the complaint to the Orange County district attorney.

District attorney’s officials said Friday they were investigating.

Brad Hoover concedes his company has had problems.

“The real estate market is not strong now,” he said. “As a result, I get bombarded by these guys whose stated purpose is to take my brother and myself down. Yes, we have debt, but we’re not reneging on any debt at all.”

But the Lopezes have complained that after investing hundreds of thousands of dollars, they are being told they won’t get their money back.

“I’m out $650,000,” said Joanne Lopez. “That’s measurable money to me. I’ve asked them to account for it. They’ve refused to do it. I want to know where the money is.”

During the mid-2000s, the Hills, Lopezes and Perisho invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with Hoover Quality Homes and other limited liability corporations for real estate in Arizona.

Hoover’s investors also include prominent figures in Whittier and law enforcement, including Steve Simonian, former chief of the Los Angeles County district Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation; and David Carlisle, former Whittier police lieutenant who now heads USC’s department of public safety.

Mike Sprague started at the Whittier Daily News in April 1984. Since then, Sprague has covered every city in the Whittier Daily News circulation area, as well as political and water issues. Sprague received a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science, both from Cal State Fullerton.

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